Many customers of Panera Bread have vocalized on Twitter that they think the food chain has taken a responsible approach when promoting a safe environment for dining post-COVID-19 outbreak. From checking vaccination cards to offering contactless pickup and curbside delivery, the chain has taken many measures to account for Covid in their restaurants nationwide. While other chains might be becoming more lenient when it comes to required masking, vaccination checking and other policies, Panera announced on February 1st that they would begin providing an entirely contactless-dining option.
This is aimed to help customers feel safe, especially who still fear the possibility of contracting or spreading Covid and its variants. At your local Panera, you might notice this option, which allows you to skip the line, order ahead of time and receive your food when you arrive at the restaurant, all while never having to communicate with another person face-to-face or touch a pager.
Speaking to Nation’s Restaurant News, George Hanson, senior vice president, chief digital officer at Panera Bread said, “This is part of a larger effort to create a digitally enabled café." He continued, “Panera is a place where people do still want to gather. Our off-premise business has exploded, but we still have a very big dine-in portion of guests.” As for those dine-in guests, this entirely contactless feature is said to now be available on the MyPanera and at all bakery/café locations in the U.S.
“The guest controls the entire ordering experience,” Hanson added. “They know exactly where their order is, they don't have to touch a pager, they don't have to touch a physical receipt, and they don't have to hover by the counter. For some people, that experience is going to be attractive.”
Hanson also spoke about how this new feature can benefit employees, as having to take less orders in-person at the register can help them complete other required tasks. “We’re hoping this frees up our employees to provide more value-added services to our guests,” he said.
In conclusion, Hanson also notably mentioned that we may see more digital and technological updates at Panera restaurants, as he said, "our guests are more digitally savvy than ever.” He then noted, “They're voting more and more for digital to be a part of their ordering experiences, both within the restaurant and outside.”
